Share a Coke Float... With Martha

For well
over a century, Coke Floats have delivered cool, creamy refreshment on a hot
day. And while the most common recipe for the soda fountain favorite consists
simply of Coca-Cola poured over a few scoops of vanilla ice cream, creative
chefs and everyday fans alike continue to experiment with ingredients, flavors
and presentation. Take Martha
Stewart, for example, who put her signature spin on the classic concoction
while growing up in the tiny, tree-lined township of Nutley, N.J. -- about a
half-hour drive from her company’s offices in New York City. With Labor Day
weekend signaling summer’s end in just a few days, we asked Martha to share with
us her Coke Float story, plus a few tips and recipes.

Do you have an earliest Coke Float
memory?

I was one of
six children. My mother was a sixth-grade teacher, and my father was a
pharmaceutical salesman. We really didn’t have enough money for Coca-Cola, but
my friend down the street, her father worked for Coca-Cola. They had a
refrigerator on their little back porch that was always filled with bottles of
Coca-Cola! In May or
June, when the weather started getting hot, we would walk to my friend’s house
after school, fill glasses with ice and pour Coca-Cola over the cubes. Then we
would take whipped cream -- at that time it was Reddi-wip -- and squirt it all over the top.
We’d drop in a straw and have the best time enjoying our Coke Floats. Then I
started making them with my own homemade whipped cream. We also froze Coca-Cola
in ice trays and made Coca-Cola ice cubes to drop in the glass -- so there was
no dilution. And later, when I found out about granite, or granita, we
would freeze a dish with about two inches of Coca-Cola in it, then scrape it
and make a granita, which is like delicious
fluffy ice, to serve with a big dollop of whipped cream.

Were your Coke Floats an immediate
hit with friends and family?

Oh, gosh
yes. Everybody loved the granita, and
they still do. The tradition of handing down recipes is fun for me. Everyone
loves to get new ideas.

Why did you use whipped cream instead
of vanilla ice cream?

Back in
those days, people didn’t keep ice cream in their freezers. But everyone always
had heavy cream for their coffee… and it’s very easy to whip up cream. Like
Coca-Cola, ice cream was a very special treat. Now it’s of course much more
common. We always used whipped cream in our Coke Floats, and we loved it so
much!

In terms of presentation, is there a
proper way to serve a Coke Float?

I like to
use a traditional Coca-Cola glass. Growing up, one of my friends actually had
an ice cream parlor in her basement, with the tall ice cream soda glasses.
Those were perfect for our Coke Floats. But they look really good in any tall
glass.

What about a garnish? Do you add
anything?

No, just a
straw and a long spoon.

Which do you prefer?

Both,
because you have to scoop out the whipped cream with a spoon. You can also pick
it out with a straw, of course, but that can take longer.

What foods pair well with a Coke
Float?

As kids, tomato
sandwiches were one of our favorite things to make and enjoy with our Coke
Floats. We would take white bread, which was really good back then, and add
sandwich spread -- mayonnaise filled with relish -- and a big slice of one of
my father’s tomatoes. He was famous for the tomatoes he grew in our backyard. As
we got older, we added cucumbers to the sandwiches.

Over the last few years, chefs and
bartenders have introduced some pretty interesting interpretations of the Coke
Float. In fact, I recently saw one with bacon. How daring are you when it comes
to desserts?

I guess I’m
more restrictive (laughs). Years ago, we featured a ham basted with Coca-Cola on
my TV program. Jane Heller, my banker, it’s her favorite ham glaze. And it’s
delicious! But for a sweet dessert, I like to keep things simple.

Our readers are gearing up for Labor
Day. Any words of advice for cooking and entertaining over the holiday weekend?

Ease of preparation.
You can cook out or have a picnic. Memorial Day, for me, heralds the beginning
of summer, and Labor Day is the dead-end of summer. We’re not really looking forward
to it this year because we’ve had such a nice summer! My family, we’re outdoor
people, so we spend as much time outside as we possibly can. I plan to be in East
Hampton (New York) and go to the beach and enjoy the last swimming of summer because
it will be getting cold soon. Labor Day in East Hampton will be festive, with
lots of dinner parties and afternoon gatherings. People are still entertaining,
which is very nice. I love that.